One of my co-students from West Dean College kindly shared this link describing how our cameras make it so easy to feel we’ve captured what’s important in the world. But to really appreciate what’s around us, we might need to learn a weirder, less technologically-advanced skill: drawing. :
which I think follows on so well from what I spoke about last time, in that it is about REALLY LOOKING when you are out and about in everyday life. I would argue that being a photographer can also make you look but it depends what type of photographs you take. My husband is an excellent photographer but tends to see the big picture of a beautiful landscape or interior whereas I will always notice the small things.
The image above is actually a close up of a jar of coffee that had been abandoned on the beach. I dare say most people would have just seen it as rubbish, but I was immediately drawn to the colour texture and marks made by the random seepage of water into the grounds. It reminds me of the rust on the burner in the reeds above.
Helen Frost Artist 